Pierce and Co. know what title means

To the victor goes the spoils, but only to the champions of New England go the Duck Boats.

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By TIM WEISBERG

southcoasttoday.com

By TIM WEISBERG

Posted Jun. 20, 2008 at 12:10 AM

By TIM WEISBERG
Posted Jun. 20, 2008 at 12:10 AM

» Social News

To the victor goes the spoils, but only to the champions of New England go the Duck Boats.

And it was a good thing the Boston Celtics were in amphibious vehicles on Thursday, in order to better float along the sea of adoration from an entire city and bask in the sunshined glory of the franchise's 17th championship and first in the last 22 years.

After watching the New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox traverse the same route a combined five times in the last six years, the Celtics got to experience their own rolling rally on Thursday.

"We're tired of watching these parades on TV. Now we get to enjoy our own," Paul Pierce said.

But more than that, the Celtics are now officially part of the championship identity of Boston once again, a city Mayor Thomas Menino has dubbed "Title Town."

Since 1957, the Celtics were the only championship team in town (save for a couple of Stanley Cups for the Bruins in 1970 and 1972) until the Patriots — and more specifically, Adam Vinatieri — kicked off this glorious run.

If you're a Celtic, however, the onus isn't in keeping up with the Sox, Pats, Bruins or any other New England franchise — it's in keeping up with the Green teams that have come before. That's what makes this NBA championship more special for a player like Pierce, whose entire career has been forged under the 16 previous banners.

"If you're going to win a championship, you want to win one with the Boston Celtics," Pierce said Tuesday night. "It means everything. You know, I'm not living under the shadows of the other greats now. I'm able to make my own history with my time here, and like I said, this is something that I wanted to do. If I was going to be one of the best Celtics to ever play, I had to put up a banner."

And he did it in front of a home crowd that included so many of those greats from years past, as Bill Russell sat courtside and other legends, from Tommy Heinsohn to John Havlicek to Bob Cousy to Jo Jo White were sprinkled throughout the Garden.

"Just knowing these greats, what they accomplished and those things that hang over our head every day, and for us to go out there and make history in front of those guys," Pierce said. "It means so much more because these are the guys — the Havliceks, the Bill Russells, the Cousys — these guys started what's going on today, with those banners."

"All the years talking to Bill and John, Cousy, I just finally feel like we've come out of that shadow now and created our own, and now we can stand up and look them eye to eye and say, hey, we accomplished it, too," Pierce said.

But for Pierce, Celtic Pride was ingrained in his every fiber long ago. He had the privilege of knowing and talking with Red Auerbach, of surrounding himself in Celtic tradition from a young age — even if he did grow up a Laker fan in Los Angeles.

But for a player like Kevin Garnett, who was new to the franchise and the city, it didn't take long for him to realize he could be part of a tradition unlike any other, and it was something he immediately embraced.

"You know you're a Celtic when the other players (from the past) come up to you and they congratulate you on being here. They explain the tradition of being here," Garnett said. "They let you know right away that it's about tradition here, and it's about the team. That's right up my alley.

"It's so much motivation, coming in here every day with the banners on the wall and seeing the ex-players come in and watch you practice. There's so much responsibility putting this jersey on."

That responsibility goes beyond just living up to the expectations of the Celtic greats. You also now have to live up to the expectations of a city and a region immersed in the greatest run of sports success ever experienced.

"Since day one, Paul told me that this city is unlike any other city when it comes to sports. You give them a reason, they will jump on and they will be behind you even when you're losing or even when you're going through tough times," said Garnett, who has denied in the past any rumors that he didn't want to be traded to the Celtics because he didn't want to play in Boston. "I thought I played in front of some good crowds, (but) Boston has a special place. I'll be forever linked to this city, and I'm more than grateful for that."

The laurels and applause will keep on coming for these Celtics, even as the rest of the organization plans for next Thursday's draft and assembling next year's team. In addition to other television appearances, the team will eventually meet with President Bush. Even Miller Lite announced yesterday that every player on the team will receive a free year's supply of beer. And after having to honor the Red Sox and Patriots numerous times over the past six years on the Garden floor, the Celts will now get their chance to make visits to Fenway Park and Gillette Stadium with their own hardware in tow.

There will be more pomp, more perks, but nothing will equal being inducted into the pantheon of Celtics history, and gaining the love of an entire city.

Tim Weisberg covers the Boston Celtics for The Standard-Times. Contact him at timweisberg@hotmail.com